


rebuilding life

by sapphfics



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers R.P.M.
Genre: F/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-13 06:09:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13564482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphfics/pseuds/sapphfics
Summary: “I’ll come back,” she promises. “When I’m ready. Wait for me?”“I will.”She leaves him before he can say anything more, doesn’t even tell him goodbye. In her head, she hears another voice, somewhere she cannot name.I want you to come back for me.





	rebuilding life

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kathillards](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kathillards/gifts).



“And while Cinderella and her prince did live happily ever after, the point, gentlemen, is that they lived."

– Ever After (1998)

-:-

With the war over, Corinth must be destroyed. 

“This was humanity’s last stand,” Truman explains, to a crowd gathered outside the dome that was once their only refuge. “We never thought we would make it. I never thought I would make it. But thanks to the Power Rangers: my son Scott Truman, Summer Landsdown, Flynn McAllistair, Ziggy Grover and the tireless efforts of Doctor K, we were victorious.” 

The crowd cheers and Scott sees his father smile for the first time since Marcus was still alive. 

“But Corinth is far too dangerous to stand,” Truman continues. “Although we know Venjix is gone for good, he may still have forces loyal to him. Forces so loyal to that evil machine that they would kill us without remorse all to get their hands on our technology.” 

It seems strange to Scott that all his father has to do to destroy a city is press one button. He is unsure if he could trust that amount of power in anyone else’s hands. 

His father takes an audible breath and presses it. 

As Corinth burns, as the last of humanity rejoices at the thought of growing back into outside the world, Scott spots Tenaya in the crowd.

She’s in the clothes Summer lent her, standing up straight. He thinks he catches her smile at him, just once.

With the sun in his eyes, she is gone.

-:-

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?”

It’s not a question. 

“Scott, I have to do this,” Tenaya tells him. She can’t give him a reason, she barely knows anything, not even her own name. She doesn’t know who she will be without Venjix. “I can’t stay here.” 

“I...I understand,” Scott responds and she blinks in confusion. “Dillon tried to do the same thing when he arrived, stole my car and everything.” 

Tenaya almost laughs. She thinks of the childhood she never had, imagines her brother happier. “I promise, your car will be exactly where you left it.”

“I’m not worried about my car, I’m worried about you.” 

“Why?” Tenaya asks. It’s simple. She’s the blind girl who became a monster, who tried to end the world, a cyborg, a war machine with a human face. He has no reason to trust her, let alone worry for her. 

“Exiling yourself like this...you have nothing to atone for,” Scott bites his lip. Tenaya almost wants to stay. “You think you deserve this pain, but you don’t. It was all Venjix.” 

Tenaya doesn’t believe him. She can’t. 

“I’ll come back,” she promises. “When I’m ready. Wait for me?” 

“I will.” 

She leaves him before he can say anything more, doesn’t even tell him goodbye. In her head, she hears another voice, somewhere she cannot name. _I want you to come back for me._

-:-

There is an earth to rebuild and he has no home to back too, so Scott spends his days building houses and helping the civilians. He doesn’t think of her much. He doesn’t think of anything much. He can’t. 

He occupies his days with hope for the future, but in his nightmares he can’t. He dreams of Venjix, of Tenaya lost to the world, of explosions and fire and his brother’s death. Of all the ways he could have saved them, if only he’d have known. If Venjix returned, Scott would fight him again. Scott would fight for his world, for those he loves, until the day he dies, just as he always has. 

A year goes by, and he and his father stand over the headstone where Marcus’ body should be. 

“Marcus would be so proud of you,” his father says. “As am I.” 

“I know,” Scott replies and tries to believe him. Scott only hopes his brother has found peace. That they will all find peace. 

-:-

It’s six months before Tenaya comes back. Scott doesn’t asks what she was doing, not at first, because he thinks of how nice it would be to get away from all of this for a while. He knows it’s selfish but -

“I missed you,” he tells her, honestly. Her clothes are somewhat tattered so he lends her his jacket. 

“I missed you too,” Tenaya tells him. “All of you. How is everyone?”

“Summer and Dillon eloped,” Scott says and Tenaya laughs, really laughs. “Me and Ziggy and Dr K were the witnesses. Her parents were furious but Summer doesn’t care, I don’t think she ever did.”

“Good for them,” Tenaya says. “I should find them and congratulate them.” 

“Can I go with you?” He asks. 

She nods. 

He thinks of his childhood home, of the barracks, of Corinth. He thinks that maybe home can be a person, not a place. 

-:-

He offers her his spare room if only so he can spare her from hearing Summer and Dillon’s antics. Neither of them sleep much. His new home is nothing like the garage, it has windows and soft beds and looks far less bleak. She thinks that this should help, but she’s not so sure. 

She pours herself a cup of coffee, he stares down into his own. 

“Scott, what’s wrong?” 

"What am I going to do now? There's so much left to do. There are so many lives that have been ruined. So many people have died," Scott’s voice cracks on the last word and he stumbles over his next thought. "How do we start to rebuild from here? What do I need to do now?"

"Scott, listen to me," Tenaya says as she stops and turns him to face her. "You’re doing the best you can. You don't have to know all the answers now, no one does. You don't have to make all your plans now. You don’t need to be a hero anymore. Let the government figure out how to rebuild, let the professionals do it. They've done it before, you can help them. They don't need to help you anymore. You don't have everything alone anymore. Let someone else do it." She suddenly looks very small and it seems as though a veil of sadness had suddenly been drawn over her face.

"If anyone's got a right to mourn, it's you," says Tenaya. "I don't think we’ve ever really done that, not properly." It’s uncharacteristic for her to be this emotional. Venjix cut out of her tear ducts when he replaced her eyes, a war machine shows no remorse. "It's not fair that you haven't had a chance to do that before. Because it hurts so badly and you just need so much to – to say, say goodbye." 

And then Scott is gathering her to him and stroking her hair and whispering words of comfort into her ear as she cried into his shirt. Before long the tears were falling from his own eyes again and the two of them sit together and cry.

That’s the first night she sleeps in his bed, they do nothing else, but it becomes a habit. 

-:-

It gets easier. 

He hardly notices it at first, but he starts sleeping for longer. The sun shines a little brighter every day without Venjix’s constant pollution. 

They learn to breathe again. 

The first time she kisses him is on a new holiday. Victory Day. 

“You all saved the world today,” she tells him. 

“No,” He responds. He takes her hand in his own, entwines their fingers. “We did.” 

This time, she doesn’t dispute him.

**Author's Note:**

> apologises if this sucks i’m so sorry anyway hope i didn’t mess it up too bad! <3


End file.
